2013 Suddenly Big Season For Roy Halladay

By Andy Schmidt

Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

The 2013 Major League Baseball season is going to be one that is very interesting for a certain pitcher on the Philadelphia Phillies. This will be a season that will show if Roy Halladay is still the same pitcher that he has been in years past. Halladay had a terrible 2012 season with just 11 wins and a 4.49 ERA after four straight outstanding seasons but the question is if Halladay has fallen off the cliff.

Halladay had won 77 games over the four seasons before last year while going 11-8 and in each of those seasons, Halladay’s ERA was under 2.80. It had to be disappointing for Halladay, who will be 36 years old in May. This is also the final year of a three-year contract for Halladay in Philadelphia so if Halladay wants another long-term deal, he has to get back to his 2008-2011 stats.

This Phillies team is also probably on the final years of success with most of their stars aging now so if Philadelphia is going to make one final run at the World Series, this is going to have to be the year to do it. Halladay is getting older just like Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and Cliff Lee and their time left is slipping away. Halladay is going to need to prove himself yet again in 2013, which may seem stupid to say but it is true. If Halladay has another season around the .500 mark, it is going to be hard for him to garner the $20 million he is earning this season again.

Andy Schmidt is a columnist/writer for RantSports. Follow him on Twitter @ASchmidtSports, like his Facebook page or add him to your network on Google.